The US Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources will hold a hearing on Tuesday March 19 concerning reauthorizing and reforming the Secure Rural Schools Act.
People interested in viewing the hearing can follow a link here to the Senate Committee website.
Lyn Benjamin passed away on January 15, 2013. Lyn had served for many years on the Eastern Idaho RAC.
Local news noted her passing, and an obituary was published. In addition, a 2010 article conveys the importance of her work in the Teton Valley. All are worth a read.
During the month of September 2012 the Southwest Idaho RAC had the challenge of fitting $1,250,000 in project proposals and $736,000 to allocate.
Over two meetings the RAC examined the 31 proposals and found a way to fund 27 of them. Many were partially funded and some did receive full funding. Some details can be found in the September 13 meeting minutes posted here (.pdf). And the chart below is a quick summation of the types of projects proposed and funded.
The Central Idaho RAC met in Salmon, Idaho on Friday, September 28, two days before the deadline to complete its recommendations for Title II funds.
The minutes of the meeting are available here (.pdf). Mke England was elected chairman by the RAC member, replacing long-time Chairman Robert Cope. Cope resigned from the RAC earlier in 2012 to accept an appointment by the Secretary of Agriculture to the National Advisory Committee for Implementation of the National Forest System Land Management Planning Rule.
The Central Idaho RAC made recommendations to fund 36 projects, distributing $812,000 across the area.
The Eastern Idaho RAC approved 81 natural resource projects totaling $497,907 during its September 21, 2012 meeting in Idaho Falls. The RAC reviewed a total of 114 projects requesting $999,026 provided by ten Eastern Idaho Counties through the Reauthorization of The Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000.
“We appreciate the support of Eastern Idaho Counties that provide funding for these projects”, stated Caribou-Targhee Forest Supervisor, Brent Larson. “We also appreciate the members of the East Idaho RAC who volunteer their time to review, discuss and approve these projects.”
Projects must be located on or adjacent to National Forest System lands within the RAC boundaries. The Eastern Idaho RAC includes Read more…
The Idaho Panhandle RAC met in Coeur d’Alene on September 7th.
Before the RAC was a list of 22 proposed projects with $993,000 in requests. The RAC trimmed down the requests to the $664,721 of projected Title II funds that will be available.
Twenty of the 22 projects received funding. Of the 20 that the RAC recommended for Title II funds, sixteen of the projects also have matching funds from third party partners or from the local National Forest office. Click here for the meeting minutes.
The Eastern Idaho Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) will be meeting September 21, 2012, from 9:00 a.m. until their business is complete (approximately 3:00 pm) at the Caribou-Targhee National Forest Headquarters, 1405 Hollipark Drive, Idaho Falls, ID 83401. The purpose of this meeting is to approve funding for 2012-5th year project proposals.
According to RAC coordinator Lynn Ballard, the RAC has received 112 project proposals for the 2012-5th year recommendations. The projects currently before the RAC total about $996,521.
The projects recommended by the RAC will benefit the natural resources on and adjacent to National Forest System lands located in Bannock, Bear Lake, Bonneville, Caribou, Clark, Franklin, Fremont, Madison, Oneida, and Teton Counties in Eastern Idaho. The funding is made available by the counties through the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2008.
The 15 member RAC works Read more…
The North Central Idaho RAC met by phone to discuss and priortize additiona projects to fund with Title II money if additional funds became available. Minutes of their telephone conference meeting are posted here.
The Southwest Idaho RAC held it’s first of at least two meetings to look at proposed projects. At the August 29th meeting they reviewed the $1.3 million in project requests competing for approximately $700,000 in available funds. UPDATE – minutes posted here.
The meeting was the first for the Southwest Idaho RAC since early 2011. In the intervening time RAC Chairman Dave Whaley passed away from pancreatic cancer.
The North Central Idaho RAC has set a meeting on September 6th by telephone to go over recommendations for allocating any left over funds or funds that may come back to the Forest if bids come under budget or a project is not implemented.
Meanwhile, the meeting minutes from their August 2, 2012 RAC meeting are now available here.